Forced Alliance
by Seldavia
Summary: Zelgan. The whereabouts of the Hero are unknown, and shadowy forces threaten the leaders of both Darkness and Light.
1. Chapter 1

It was a difficult night to stay hidden, even for a Shekiah.

The moon rose early, full and bright, with no clouds to block even the dimmest stars. Trees and the occasional farmhouse cast long shadows across Hyrule Field, and not a breath of wind stirred the grass and leaves. It had been a cold night to begin with, and it grew even colder when one reached the rocky outcrop that marked the beginning of Gerudo Mesa.

The bridge across the gorge that separated Hyrule proper from its desert had been built, destroyed, and rebuilt numerous times to reflect the relations between its inhabitants. When times were good, a sturdy wooden bridge that could hold an entire caravan might span the depths. When times were bad, it was the first thing to go in an often lengthy cycle of destruction. On this stark night, the feeble rope bridge made only a few taut jerks as a lone shadow stepped catlike across its narrow base.

Red watch-fires blazed like beacons along the towers of the Gerudo Fortress. Where the fire's light did not touch, leather-like scrubs guarded their precious water stores against the freezing temperatures. The women who guarded the Fortress stood with their backs to the fire, allowing it to warm them without robbing their sight in the dark. Sunset-colored flames reflected off their halberds.

The living shadow edged between the dark umber cast by the cold stone, and the shaky fluttering light, passing between the sight of unblinking amber eyes. Knives stayed firmly in their sheaths, wrapped at the hilt to guard against any spare metal catching a flash of the light. The body of the intruder itself was covered only in light fabric, constant movement keeping the chill at bay. The shadow passed by the guards between one breath and another, masking its presence inside a single puff of air.

More guards paced the halls, along with children, cooks, career thieves, and women who spent their lives charming other races into giving them more children for the tribe. The shadow passed all of these by. Its target was not among the old women stirring the pots in the galley, or the little girls sparring with pointed sticks in the hallways. It wormed its way in and out of the open buildings, slowly heading toward the highest point in the Fortress, its door most heavily guarded of all.

The shadow curled away from the door itself, wrapping around the wall and scaling its smooth polished surface. It dropped noiselessly down from the roof and into a small glassless window that faced toward the fields. Silhouetted against the moon for a brief second, the lithe body melted back into the darkness of the room itself, and crept noiselessly toward a large bed against the wall.

Its inhabitant slept deeply, a large figure whose presence filled the entire room, even at rest. The simple bed, made of woven slats, reflected the sleeper's status with skillfully woven blankets thicker than any of the others in the Fortress. His slow breath was the only sound in the room.

The shadow paused at the side of the bed, and reached over its shoulder. A hand wrapped around the hilt of a sword strapped to its back, not a usual part of a Shekiah's arsenal. The exertion of carrying it without allowing a single rattle of metal showed in the Shekiah's face, sweat running down the few strands of hair poking from its wrap, soaking more rags around the mouth. The hand drew the sword slowly, taking pains not to wake the sleeper with the telltale ring of steel against steel.

Leaping lightly onto the bedframe, the shadow stood over the sleeping figure with sword in hand, crouching forward like Death with his scythe. It positioned the tip of the blade over the sleeper's heart, gripping the hilt with both hands, and with a sudden movement, heaved upward.

Suddenly the man beneath raised his arm and swept the Shekiah's feet from his bed. The sword clattered to the ground, spinning slowly, as an enormous hand closed around the attacker's throat and thrust the Shekiah against the wall. The would-be assassin snatched a knife and managed to make a shallow cut before another hand snatched it and held it to the attacker's chest.

A sharp tingling in one hand pulled both of them briefly out of murderous intent. The huge man glanced down at his own hand, then that of his attacker, then the forgotten blade on the ground with its unusual amethyst hilt and unmistakable Triforce brand. Then he stared at the stranger's hand again.

"What are _you_ doing with that accursed blade?" He demanded in a rolling growl, loosening his fingers just enough for his captive to speak.

"As if you don't know!" Her voice strained, the Bearer of Wisdom coughed. Defiant red eyes shifted back to blue and stared into the face of the man that held her against the wall. "Playing innocent doesn't suit you."

"My Lord Ganondorf?" The two guards who had entered upon hearing a disturbance questioned both what was going on and if he needed any assistance. Their hands tightened on their scimitars as they recognized the Shekiah Eye on the woman's clothing.

Ganondorf chuckled. "It's a good thing it was I who caught you, or you would be dead by now," he said as he let his captive drop to the floor, gasping for air. With one hand he grabbed one arm near the shoulder, and with the other he tore off the facial wraps. "May I introduce you to Her Highness, the Princess Zelda?"

The two guards could not conceal a gasp between them, recognizing the icy blue glare regardless of her strange garment and predicament. Recovering, one of them asked, "What would you do with her, My Lord?"

"We give her the same honor as all uninvited guests." He shoved her toward the guards, who caught her and pinned her arms behind her back. Turning to Zelda, he said, "And what do you have to say for yourself, a lone monarch trespassing to assassinate one of her peers?"

"I've got nothing to say to you," she snarled, with an uncharacteristic show of anger.

"No? Then give Her Highness one of the special suites in the eastern wing. Perhaps she'll be willing to talk later."

Once they left, his eye fell on the sword on the ground. He pondered for a moment, then walked over and reached slowly toward it. He could feel the air in the room tighten, become thicker around the gleaming steel as ancient magics protested against his presence. He pulled his hand away and called for another guard. "Handle this carefully and place it in our most secure treasure room," he instructed her without going into further detail. As she carried it carefully out the room, he followed the gleam of the moon on the blade.

What on earth would bring Zelda to bear the Blade of Evil's Bane? Had she finally decided to take matters into her own hands for once…or had something happened to her Hero?


	2. Chapter 2

After Ganondorf briefed his captains on Zelda's intrusion, one of the guards approached him with a small gem in her hand. "My King, the prisoner was hiding this on her person."

He turned it over in his hands, identifying it immediately as a Gossip Stone. "Really? Where?"

" _Kuda_ "

He threw his head back and laughed. "It wouldn't have occurred to me that she would know that trick. Her bodyguard must have taught her that. In fact..." He closed his fingers around it and concentrated, reaching out with his mind along a thin channel through space. After a few moments he was rewarded with an overwhelming sense of shock and fear, and the face of the person whose emotions he had picked up through the stone.

Then it cut off abruptly. Ganondorf was not surprised. He would not have expected Impa to keep it open for him to find her.

Yet in that brief half-moment, he had been able to discern a few things about her. She was concerned about the Princess; evidently Zelda had gone on this mission without telling her. But there was also something else going on around her, and he had a vague sense that Impa herself was being chased.

Had something happened at the castle? It would explain why Zelda had taken such a risk. But why come out here, if there was trouble at home? He hadn't authorized any raids on Hyrule Castle, so the belligerent party had to come from somewhere else...or even within the castle itself.

Well, Impa evidently knew the Princess was not in the castle, and likely now had an idea where she really was. "Come with me," he said to the guard. "I will speak with the prisoner myself."

* * *

The Gerudo Fortress held three kinds of prisoners; the first were regular trespassers, or the occasional Gerudo that got into a bit of trouble with her own people. The second were the holding cells for men that they brought home; even if they came willingly, the Gerudo weren't about to let them roam around freely.

The third was secured both by thick walls and old magic, built ages ago to contain the only other proficient magic-users in Hyrule; the Shekiah. As the hidden guard of the throne, the Shekiah were well known to the Gerudo, who clashed with the various Hylian monarchs over the millennia.

The guard led her King through the corridors to the very end of the block, passing through three different magic barriers in the process. As she opened the final door, the Princess turned to face him. "You're not the type to stall when it comes to taking what you want," she said as she held up her marked hand. "Just what are you doing?"

"For now, I have come to give something back." He held up the Gossip Stone. "You know, you should be thankful that I had female guards to search you instead of doing it myself. Your people have never extended mine that courtesy."

She snatched it away from him. Examining it, she said, "You used the stone. So now Impa has probably guessed what has happened. Do you have some special grudge against her, that you feel she needs to see the shame you have put me through?"

"Not at all. Your bodyguard cut me off rather quickly, but I was able to discern some sort of commotion going on at the castle. And it didn't seem connected to your disappearance." He nodded in satisfaction as her brows knitted in puzzlement ."So there is something going on that even the Bearer of Wisdom does not know. Makes sense, I suppose, since you seemed upset over the disappearance of a Hero I have never heard of or seen."

"I don't believe you for a moment," Zelda snapped. "Only a fool would."

"I don't blame you, Your Highness, though sooner or later you'll have to decide based on evidence that you're wrong. In the meantime," he said as he turned to go, "feel free to speak with your servant. In fact, you have my permission to let her keep you company, if you'd like. I do so want to know what is going on at the castle while its ruler is away."

He slammed the door shut, cutting off her insults.

Another guard was already waiting for him on the outside of the Shekiah block. "My King, we've sighted the Shekiah leader. She appears injured."

"Good. Don't engage with her unless absolutely necessary. I want her to think she can enter and rescue her mistress. There's no way she's going to trust us to invite her in, but she's driven by duty to assist Zelda in any way she can. Whatever you do, make sure she stays alive. She has valuable information."

"Understood, my lord."

* * *

Zelda attempted to contact Impa through the stone, if only to tell her not to come. But Impa had shut it off completely, probably to guard against Ganondorf using it again. Zelda paced fitfully back and forth in the small room, sitting down just long enough to roll the stone through her fingers again, and standing back up.

Why hadn't he taken her Triforce piece?

Even if were telling the truth about the Hero, it made no sense that he would let her keep hers. If Link were still alive, it might make some sense to lure him here using her. But Ganondorf didn't need her to keep her piece for Link to search. And she knew for certain that Link was gone.

The package had been hand-delivered to her by castle courier, bundled in plain but well-made fabric. Her shriek had echoed throughout the hallways, bringing Impa as well as half her personal staff. For there in her hands was the Master Sword, and around it someone had wrapped a torn, bloodstained green tunic.

Impa had questioned the porter who delivered the package, over several sleepless nights, and finally came to the conclusion that he really had no idea what he had been carrying. He had been instructed through letters to pick it up at a certain place, where he had also found payment. Impa scrutinized the letters, the drop point, and the fabric, but could glean no further clues about the menacing omen or who might have sent it.

So Zelda began an investigation herself, in places where even Impa wouldn't know to look. She was not surprised to feel the presence of Power in the Gerudo Valley. It certainly explained why they had been even more reclusive than usual. Things had never gone well between the two nations when the Gerudo had a king, even before the Triforce was split.

Impa had warned her not to go. But what else could she do? With Courage gone, Wisdom had to take its place. In her veins ran the blood of the Goddess; the Master Sword held no weight in her hands, and she took that as confirmation that she was headed in the right direction. She'd managed to get right up to the Dark King with the sword over his heart…

And then, somehow, everything had gone wrong.

Zelda's long ears twitched. Startled out of her reverie, she listened hard in the dusty cell. No, not a sound; a presence, a familiar one. She took in a breath to warn her faithful servant; then let it out again just as quickly, knowing it would do no good.

A shadow wavered in the dim light of the enchanted torch; then Impa appeared, and immediately fell to her knees, clutching her left side.

"Impa!" Zelda ran to her side, trying to pry Impa's hand away from the spreading dark stain. "What did the Gerudo do to you? Let me heal it…"

"Wasn't…the Gerudo." The normally stoic Shekiah gritted her teeth in pain.

Zelda paused, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "What?"

The cell door opened, Ganondorf and another Gerudo framed in the doorway. Even in her weakened state, Impa pulled her knife and attempted to push the Princess behind her.

Ganondorf made a short snort. "Don't be so quick to nobly throw your life away." He motioned toward the woman next to him. "This is my sister Nabooru, my second-in-command and Priestess of the Spirit Temple. It will take the combined skill of all three of you to close that mortal wound."

"And what interest do you have in Impa's life?" Zelda demanded.

"I want to know what she has witnessed at the castle," said Ganondorf. "And why a guard of the Royal Family would be attacked by the very people she's sworn to protect."

"That's not for you to know," Impa hissed.

"I'll find out eventually," Ganondorf replied. "But something tells me that time is of the essence, and it would be to the benefit of both of us not to waste it."

"For what price?" Zelda demanded.

Ganondorf met her eye to eye. "No less than shared possession of Hyrule itself."

"Never!"

"Then to whose ownership will it pass, then?" Ganondorf asked. "Not yours, locked in this cell, while someone unfriendly to your closest servant sits on the throne. Not mine, without the Triforce. Are you going to side with someone who is willing to save your guardian's life? Or someone who tried to take it?"

Zelda turned from Ganondorf to Nabooru. She had the same steely, determined gaze, but her golden eyes were clear – no sign of trickery or mental slavery to her King.

"Very well," Zelda said at last.

Impa protested. "Your Highness, you can't-!"

"Impa. You must let Nabooru help us heal you, and you must tell us what happened at the castle."

"But what I little I know isn't worth Hyrule itself!"

"It's quite simple, Servant of the Goddess," Ganondorf told her. "You can either side with the person helping you heal that wound, or you can side with the person who gave it. Not much of a choice, I know, but one is clearly better than the other."

"Stand down, Impa," Zelda ordered.

"I…very well, Your Highness."

Nabooru motioned to two guards behind her. "Let's get her into another room. The glyphs in the wall are robbing her of her energy."

As Zelda followed them out of the cell, Ganondorf gave her a light smile. "I look forward to our continuing partnership."

Zelda had nothing to say.


	3. Chapter 3

They sat on cushions in a wide circle, the two Triforce Bearers with Impa and Nabooru in the middle, and Gerudo warriors ringed around them. Refreshment had been served; the prisoners had been bandaged up and allowed to wash; the two monarchs sat as if in a council of war, each with their confidante on one side.

"I swear to you, by the Shadow of Death, that my words are true," Impa said. "I know not the reason for their actions; only that the King's High Guard attacked me while I was searching the castle for the Princess. I was caught by surprise; never in a million years would I have expected this. And there was no hint of magic, no sense of their being controlled by outside forces."

"But why on earth would my father's guard hurt you?" Zelda demanded, making it clear she was asking a rhetorical question.

"I was preoccupied with finding you, especially after realizing the Gerudo King held the Gossip Stone. But…strangely enough, in all the confusion, one of the guards said something about your disappearance being my responsibility."

"But how would they know I was missing? I wasn't gone that long, and you would have been the one to inform them."

"Are there any schisms in the Royal Family?" Nabooru asked. "Forgive me for being forward, but I'm merely trying to offer insight."

Impa shook her head. "There is no scandal for me to protect. The King holds absolute power; he has no siblings; no one has objected to Zelda as his heir."

"What about his relations with the Zora and Gorons?" Ganondorf asked.

"As close as ever. I can't imagine either one of them quarreling with the King." Impa flicked her eyes almost imperceptibly at Zelda, as if asking for her permission.

"But my father has been making preparations against the Gerudo," Zelda answered for her.

Ganondorf turned sharply at Impa. "The King's soldiers are coming here?"

"But there is no way that they could know Zelda is here!" Impa protested. "I don't understand what could have triggered it…"

Ganondorf stood to address the warriors sitting around them. "We need to evacuate to the Spirit Temple immediately. Get the children and elders first…"

Zelda cut him off. "I'm not going."

Ganondorf frowned at her. "What do you intend to do, say 'here I am' to your father and expect everything to stop? Surely the Bearer of Wisdom cannot be so foolish as-"

"I know there's something strange going on!" Zelda snapped. "That's why I need to find out what it is! Impa and I will go-"

"Nabooru and I will accompany you."

"What?" Zelda scowled at him. "What about your own people? Are you going to abandon them to the soldiers?"

"None but my own people can cross the Wasteland. Aveil will do just fine to oversee them while we come with you." He gave her another little smile. "I have an investment to protect."

"You-" Zelda flushed purple. "Very well, but on one condition. You will return the Master Sword to me, and I will bear it during the length of this mission."

His smile faded, but he didn't object. "You drive a hard bargain, Princess, but I accept."

"We should question Darunia first," Impa said. "He has always been closer to the King, and has a soft spot for Zelda. We should be safe speaking to him, and he will have more information than Queen Ruto."

"My King!" A Gerudo guard appeared at the doorway. "Forgive me for interrupting, but Hyrulean soldiers have been spotted at the edge of the mesa!"

* * *

With the Fortress in full evacuation, the four would-be ambassadors paused at the gate. "We will meet back at the Spirit Temple afterward," said Ganondorf. "You will need either Nabooru or me to lead the way."

"Understood," Impa replied, unusually curt. "Good luck, Your Highness," she added, addressing Zelda only.

Nabooru winked at Zelda. "Take care of my brother, all right? He can be a handful but he's the only one I've got."

The two monarchs made for Hyrule field on horseback, Ganondorf on his own, Zelda on a borrowed steed. "Ignore my sister," Ganondorf grumbled. "She has a problem with levity at inappropriate times."

"I could figure that out for myself," Zelda replied. The two rode in silence for hours, until Ganondorf reined in suddenly. Without a word, he pointed out over the open field.

For a while Zelda could see nothing. Finally, the tiniest flash of sunlight on metal reached her eyes. "Not even a dust cloud from horses' hooves," she noted. "They are moving quickly, and stealthily."

"Yes, I wasn't aware they had that kind of ability. If not for your servant, we might have been attacked unaware." He gave Zelda a nasty grin. "Does it disappoint you, to think that the Gerudo could have been wiped out completely if not for her interference?"

Zelda's horse twitched as she straightened in the saddle. "Do not assume my father's policies are the same as my own." Turning to face him, she said, "I have no quarrel with the Gerudo themselves – only the lone thief that stole a shard of the Golden Power."

"Half of Hyrule is a fair price for it. Power is of no use without something to control."

"And is that the plan for your rule? Complete control?"

"We are getting ahead of ourselves," he said as he turned from her and twitched his horse back to the trail. "No point in counting cuccos before they're hatched." And with that they both set off.

* * *

They left the horses in Kakariko, and climbed the mountain trails on foot. Zelda did not falter in her pace even though she made two steps for every one of his. "I wouldn't have guessed you would be suited for this," Ganondorf commented.

"I managed to get into your bedroom, in your fortress, without being seen. Do you really think a long walk would be that difficult for me?"

"How long did you study the Shekiah arts?"

She turned to look at him, still dressed in her Shekiah uniform. "I have studied under Impa since I was five."

"Much longer than the princess who aided the Hero of Time. How did you keep your father from finding out?"

She shot him an accusatory look. "What makes you think-"

"Even though I have never been invited to his court, Princess, I know all about his views on women fighting. It is, shall we say, a subject that hits close to home."

Zelda scowled and turned away. "Impa is quite gifted, even when you compare her to past members of her tribe. She found ways."

He nodded at the knives in her belt. "I figured you must have started young to be able to carry weapons...unlike that other Zelda." He paused. "But the fact that you carry them at all means that you didn't learn the art of the sword. Why not learn how to wield that sword properly, and not bother waiting for a Hero?"

Zelda said nothing at first. "I have wondered that myself," she told him at last. "I think...mastery of this type of sword would be too obvious. Even if my father didn't see me practicing, he would notice that my arms would no longer fit my dresses."

Ganondorf laughed out loud, his voice echoing off the rocky bluffs. "Indeed. Though you are hardly a willowy woman as you are."

A stone rattled not far up the trail, and then stood to take on the squat, stocky form of a Goron. "Who are you, and what brings you to Death Mountain?"

"I am Princess Zelda," she offered before Ganondorf could say anything, "and I have come to request an audience with your patriarch."

The Goron gave Ganondorf a suspicious look. "You come with the Gerudo King? Not any of your own people?" The Gorons were not fools, though not at all subtle either. He might as well have asked, "Did this guy force you up here?"

"I know Darunia calls my father Brother," Zelda interceded. "So I understand why you would find it strange that he would not be with me today. But I also know he has promised to meet with any emissary of the Royal Family."

"I will tell Big Brother that you are here," the Goron replied. "You can continue up the mountain for now; but if Big Brother objects, we will block the way." He bent over and rolled up the hill at a surprising speed.

"I'm surprised they would just let us up here," Ganondorf commented as they continued their hike up the mountain, their path getting steeper with every step.

"The stones have ears," Zelda warned him in a low voice, "And eyes as well. No doubt they are watching us now, to scrutinize your behavior. I know you won't like this, but for now act like I'm in charge. They won't let us in otherwise."

Ganondorf cast a wary eye on the barren landscape around them. There could have been a hundred Gorons hidden in the rocks, or none at all. Even his eagle eyes could not tell. "I'm not going to pretend to take orders, but I'll let you do the talking, since you insist. He's your ally after all."

They finally came to the entrance of the Goron city, with not a soul to greet them. Zelda simply walked in, and Ganondorf followed. He doubted that they were hiding; more likely they were in plain sight, just not visible to his eyes, ready to trample them into the ground at the slightest threat to their Patriarch.

"Greetings, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf of the Gerudo," said Darunia as they entered his room. "My people have watched from the mountaintop as the Hyrulean knights mounted an attack on the Gerudo Fortress, and came away with nothing. So tell me, why would the leaders of two opposing forces come here? Do you wish for me to broker a truce?"

"If only it were that easy," said Zelda. "Great Patriarch, strange things have happened in Hyrule that even I cannot divine." She drew the Master Sword and set its tip on the ground, balancing it at the hilt. "The Hero is missing and the Bearer of Power is not at fault."

"He's not?" Darunia demanded, scowling at Ganondorf. "Then who is?"

"I don't know. Impa has been chasing that question for several weeks now. As we speak, she and Ganondorf's commander are approaching Queen Ruto, to request that she give my father no aid in any request that he makes."

"And you come to ask the same of me? A tall order, given your father is my Brother, and you come here under strange circumstances."

"I have no authority to make requests of you, Patriarch. But you've already noticed that things are not as they should be in Hyrule."

"Have you anything to say, Gerudo King?" Darunia demanded, his jaw thrust out pugnaciously.

"Just that you saw the Hyrulean Knights take nothing from our Fortress because there was no one there. My people have fled to the inner desert. We are in no position to fight anyone."

" _Goro!_ I am not a fool, Gerudo King. There is something else you are not telling me."

Ganondorf looked at Zelda, who reluctantly nodded her approval. He could not keep a smile off his face as he said, "The Princess has offered me half of Hyrule for my assistance."

"Impossible!" Darunia shook his fists and stamped his feet, causing several of the stones in the city to rise up and begin moving toward them. "I knew this was suspicious!"

"Darunia, my father's soldiers tried to kill Impa," Zelda cut in. "The truth cannot elude the eyes of a Shekiah. I do not know if it is my father himself or someone controlling him, but the throne has strayed from the path of the Goddesses. I have been forced to take allies wherever I can find them." She hefted the Master Sword in her hands. "I have my own methods of making sure my allies stay true."

"Hmph!" Darunia snorted like an ox. "All of this is strange to me. You cannot expect me to-"

"Big Brother!" One of the Gorons rolled into the chamber, nearly smashing into the wall in haste. "There is a troop of King's soldiers marching up the mountain! I had no reason to stop them, but they're coming as if they'd intend to blast through us if we did."

"Odd. Why in such a hurry?" Darunia wondered aloud, then turned to his two guests. "Princess Zelda, I will pretend that you never came here, though I cannot guarantee that I will go against the King's wishes. I have my own people to consider."

Zelda nodded gravely. "I understand."

"That said, you cannot go back down the way you came up, as you have no way of hiding from the soldiers. Come this way." He led them further into his chambers, and dug into a small dusty chest sitting against one wall.

"Here." He held out to Zelda a patched up, faded red tunic. "This was once used by a Hero of old. You do not have the Gerudo's resistance to heat. I will show you a passage that will take you to the other side of the mountain, through some of its inner chambers." As Zelda pulled it on over her Shekiah clothing, Darunia moved a large stone set against the other wall. "This route isn't used often, but it should be easy enough to get through without getting lost." He narrowed his eyes at Ganondorf. "Beware, Gerudo King, for there are many guardians of the Goddess in this sacred mountain. Any attempt to harm her will end badly."

Ganondorf smirked. "And throw away what was promised to me? No need to worry, Patriarch."


	4. Chapter 4

Impa covered the ground at a fast clip, looking back occasionally to see Nabooru close behind. A few times the Gerudo commander flashed her a smile, as if to say, "Yes, I can keep up with you!"

Impa did not object much to the commander's company. She and her spy network had established that Nabooru was trustworthy as much as Ganondorf was untrustworthy. Impa worried more about Zelda and the company she was forced to keep. If she had not been so shaken up over the behavior of her own soldiers, she might have objected more to Zelda's bargain. And though she wanted to stay close to Zelda's side, they had to split up if they wanted to reach their allies before the King's soldiers did.

Noting with satisfaction Nabooru's catlike maneuvering over the rough terrain surrounding the river headwaters, Impa hoped the landscape would also serve to give them more time. As controllers of one of Hyrule's most precious resources, the Zora could be incredibly stubborn. They knew all they had to do was shut off the flow of the river, and even the King could be at their mercy. Of course, they were bound by Nayru to do this only in the gravest of situations, as it would cause her temple under the lake to stagnate. But they had been unpredictable in the past.

Finally they reached the river falls, and Impa turned to Nabooru. "I'm supposed to blindfold you so that you don't know how to get through the entrance of Zora's Domain. But I don't have time to guide you over every stone. I trust you much more than your brother, so I'll have to just ask you to follow me."

"I'm honored," Nabooru replied, though in a tone of voice that suggested she had to force herself from laughing. "Lead on."

Impa brought her fingers to her lips and whistled a short tune. Nabooru raised her eyebrows but said nothing. After a few moments the waterfall slowed to a trickle, then stopped entirely. Impa leaped up into the small hidden entryway, and Nabooru followed close behind.

After a few sharp turns in damp, dripping caves, the pair entered a large cavern filled with crystal clear water. Every Zora present stopped what they were doing and stared at the strange pair, and one of the guards stepped in front of them. "I know you, Lady Impa, as an emissary of the Royal Family," he said as he held up one hand. "But who is your companion?"

"I am Nabooru, second-in-command and guardian of the Spirit Temple," she said before Impa could speak.

The guard considered for a bit, then said, "Zora's Domain welcomes the keeper of the desert temple."

"Probably would have let me in before our King," Nabooru commented to Impa as they moved forward. "The Zora take the maintenance of the Water Temple very seriously."

Impa had only been to Zora's Domain a few times before, and back then it had been under the rule of its King. He had passed away a few years ago and left the kingdom to his young daughter, Ruto. The Zora Queen, slightly younger than Zelda, Ruto sat in her father's place with her legs crossed, leaning back, totally at ease. As Impa and Nabooru entered, she perked up. "Lady Impa and...Guardian Nabooru, is it? What brings you to my domain?"

"Your Highness, Queen Zora...I have very little time, so I will get straight to the point. Another emissary from His Majesty, the Hyrulean King, is on his way here even now. I must request that you refuse him any aid."

Ruto's face scrunched up in puzzlement. "What for? Aren't you his emissary too? And why do you have a Gerudo with you? The last emissary that came in here asked us to block off the flow of the river under their bridge. Wouldn't even say why. I told him not to be stupid, we can't just disrupt the flow of Nayru's veins without a damned good reason."

Nabooru gave Impa a startled look, and Impa shook her head. "I cannot speak for any that came before me, Queen Ruto. The King's orders have been strange of late, and have put both myself and the Princess Zelda in danger."

"Really? Why on earth would he do that?" Ruto demanded, looking much more interested. "Has something happened in the Royal Family?"

"Your Highness, would that I knew. Even I cannot speak to the-"

"Let's cut to the chase. Queen Ruto, the Hyrulean King attacked the Gerudo Fortress right after we left." Impa shot Nabooru an angry look, but she ignored her. "The Gerudo King and Princess Zelda are journeying to Death Mountian as we speak, to hold audience with the Goron Patriarch."

"Really?" Ruto actually stood. "The Hyrulean Princess and the Gerudo King? Is such a thing even allowed? The last I heard, the two families were at the brink of war."

"Your Highness, as much as it shames me, the Hyrulean King has kept his intentions secret even from me. You know that the Princess objects to war in any form, and-"

"But to ally with the Gerudo King! Such a thing is quite unheard of!" Ruto leapt down to meet them. "Let us journey to Death Mountain together. I must hear more!"

"I cannot possibly sanction such a thing," Impa said sternly. "Death Mountain is not a suitable place for any Zora, much less its precious monarch. There is no way."

"But, hear me out-"

"Queen Ruto, we need you here," Nabooru cut in. "If the King's soldiers see you are gone, they will suspect something is up."

"Well, that's very simple," Ruto said as if talking to a child. "We just don't let them in."

"Wouldn't that make them more suspicious?" Impa asked.

Ruto snorted. "We've shut them out before. We don't have to give a reason."

"We don't know how Darunia will react," Impa explained. "If he helps the King, or tells him he was visited by others, he will get suspicious if you don't speak to him."

Pouting, Ruto said, "Some princesses get all the fun. Very well, Lady Impa, I will stay here. And what would you have me do? If I give him a flat refusal, that will tip him off as well."

"Refuse him. But do not explain why," Impa told her.

"Oh, and how would I do that? That seems like the strangest behavior to me-"

"Act like you don't care," Nabooru said with an impish smile. "It's not really any of your business, and you don't feel like dealing with it. Feel free to be as impetuous as you like."

"Oh very well," Ruto said with a snort. But I expect all the details when this is over, do you understand? Come right back here, and don't omit a single thing."

* * *

Even hotter than the desert at noon. Ganondorf could feel his skin slowly cooking inside his armor, as he struggled to keep up with the woman in front of him. She too suffered from the heat, as he could see her hair sticking to the sides of her face and dark stains spreading across her body. Yet she either benefited from having lighter clothing, or the Goron tunic worked as well as the legends said.

Both felt the ground rumble beneath them. Death Mountain often experienced small eruptions, its flues tended to by the Gorons to keep the mountain from exploding in violent fury. He kept his eyes open for small missiles flung from the summit, not knowing that its greatest danger could not be seen at all.

The smell struck him full force in the nostrils, nearly knocking him over. A sizzling sting of brimstone, then nothing. He stood rubbling his nose for a few moments, then continued on as before. Ganondorf looked up in surprise to see Zelda sprinting off even faster than before. She turned around suddenly and yelled back at him, "Hurry up!"

"I'm going as fast as I can without falling over," he grumbled, missing her urgent tone.

"The air you're in, it's poison. Get out of there!"

"You mean the brimstone smell? It's gone."

"It kills your sense of smell! Get out of there now!"

He considered for a few moments, then decided she had nothing to gain by deceiving him. He forced his heavy body faster, scrambling over the sharp rocks.

"How do we know when we're out of it?" he asked as he caught up to her.

"We don't. Keep moving!"

Ganondorf opened his mouth to silence her, but could not manage anything other than ragged breaths. His body seemed to grow heavier and heavier, and he stumbled over stones he should have been able to see.

Vaguely he could sense Zelda by his side. "You don't have bad air in the desert caves?"

"Yes, but...would go back...the way I came. Not possible here," he managed between heavy breaths. "How..." He raised his head and stared blankly around him, a fog forming inside his head.

He felt a slight pressure on one arm. "Let me guide you."

He shook his head, unsure why he was disagreeing, other than it was Zelda commanding him to do something. "I'll manage."

"It's this way." He felt a sharp tug on his arm and followed it without thinking. Sparks danced before his eyes.

"Tired. Rest," he muttered, after an amount of time he could not discern. He attempted to sit down and got a sharp slap across the face.

"Get up! You're going to die if you stop here." Who was yelling at him? It had to be Nabooru. Only Nabooru would do something so stupid as to slap him. Still, she must have a good reason.

"No need...Nabooru. Coming." He struggled to his feet, obediently following the insistent tugging. "Where...we going?"

"Just follow me."

As the fog began to lift, the first thing he comprehended was the slow plodding steps of his own feet down a gradual slope. He raised his head, and saw Zelda leading him down a rocky hillside like a disgruntled parent with a toddler in tow.

He ripped his hand away. "What are you doing?"

She stopped at looked up at him for a few moments without answering. "Your eyes are clearing. Good. You nearly keeled over back there."

Ganondorf frowned down at her, then turned back toward the way they came. They were quite a long distance down, on the far side of the mountain closer to the forest than Kakariko. "The bad air...it lasted that long?" He turned and squinted down at Zelda. "Why didn't it affect you?"

"I'm smaller, I need less air," she said simply. "Plus it was part of the Shekiah training Impa gave me, learning how to breathe in bad air."

"You said that smelly stuff was poison."

"Yes, but there's more than one kind of bad air. The poison was a warning, that there was more of it."

Ganondorf raised one eyebrow. "And you didn't leave me there? You wouldn't have to worry about sharing your kingdom."

Zelda scoffed. "No, but I'd have to worry about an angry Nabooru, and the entire Gerudo tribe demanding to know what their King and sole man."

Ganondorf turned his attention to the trail. "I suppose we'd better get back to the Sand Temple...hopefully Nabooru and Impa fared better than we did."


End file.
